Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces
Published on: September 9, 2022
Surface-tension phenomena in organismal biology: an introduction to the symposium
Lydia Bourouiba1, David L Hu2, Rachel Levy2
1*Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Schools of Mechanical Engineering and Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA, USA lbouro@mit.edu.
Abstract:
Flows driven by surface tension are both ubiquitous and diverse, involving the drinking of birds and bees, the flow of xylem in plants, the impact of raindrops on animals, respiration in humans, and the transmission of diseases in plants and animals, including humans. The fundamental physical principles underlying such flows provide a unifying framework to interpret the adaptations of the microorganisms, animals, and plants that rely upon them. The symposium on "Surface-Tension Phenomena in Organismal Biology" assembled an interdisciplinary group of researchers to address a large spectrum of topics, all articulated around the role of surface tension in shaping biology, health, and ecology. The contributions to the symposium and the papers in this issue are meant to be a starting point for novices to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of flows driven by surface tension; to understand how they can play a governing role in many settings in organismal biology; and how such understanding of nature's use of surface tension can, in turn, inspire humans to innovate.
Related Concept Videos
Surface Tension of Fluid
Surface tension varies...
Surface Tension and Surface Energy
Consider a beaker filled with liquid. The bulk molecules in the liquid experience equal attractive forces on all sides with the surrounding molecules. However, the surface molecules experience a net attractive force downward due to the bulk molecules. The surface of the liquid behaves like a stretched membrane,...
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
Tonicity in Animals
Tonicity in Animals
Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...

